In the dojo the other day, the subject of utilising the 'non-striking' limb came up with respect to Choki Motobu's famous reference to the term mefutode 'husband and wife hands' (also commonly referred to as 'meotode'). We had an interesting discussion and I thought I'd summarise some of the main points here.

The 'non-striking' limb is often connected to the term hikite (pulling hand), however this pulling action of the limb to help accentuate the accompanying strike is only one of a number of combative functions that the non-striking limb can undertake.

Whilst searching through YouTube, I came across these two videos of Yuchoku Higa (Kyudokan Dojo), who was a student of Chosin Chibana, performing Matsumura No Passai. I remember practicing this very kata back in March 2012 with Arakaki Sensei - himself a student of Higa...needless to say, the experience was awesome!

What struck me most about these video's is that they've been filmed many years apart and upon watching them, it really struck home how we should all strive for karate to become a complete way of life. These videos have certainly inspired me to carry on exploring karate more deeply and I hope they offer you similar insights.